Sometimes Things Get Complicated
by WeavingTheChaos
Summary: I can't describe to you what this story is about, because it is really writing itself. I can only encourage you to read, give feedback, and give it a shot. This is my First fanfic, and though I want to give you a good story, I am also seeking critiques for my writing. There will be love, and there will be blood.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fanfic; I got some inspiration both stories that I like, and stories i did not. I hope you give it a shot and enjoy, feel free to critique. I don't have much faith in my writing, but i like to do it simply because i love it.

* * *

Ch. 1

Peace is the concept in which all is in harmony. It ensures that conflict and ill-willed enemies can be laid to rest. It was the sun slowly sinking into the horizon, painted with an array of warmth, as illustrated in each variant of color that radiated from it. The breeze aided it, easing its temperamental warmth as it brought shades of violet and indigo into the picture, lulling the sun into balance for the sake of everything else. It shakes the trees loose of their dead appendages so that they can litter the ground with the hope of bringing life in place of their deaths. And though the sun may never see the wind so clearly, it is always there.

People often worked the same. In their pursuit of whatever they deemed a grandeur goal, they often ignored what they had. And often, they would continue into their blind illusion until all that they had was gone. This was a thought that often left her in lament. As she gazed over the land, the buildings, the concentrations of modern life, she sighed and wondered what they all were doing while she separated herself from the world. Her favorite spot was here, on a cliff like hill that stared back at civilization, if only to contrast it. She plucked a dandelion, pausing in a moment of thought until she decided what to wish on it.  
She wished to leave this feeling of emptiness behind. With all that had happened up to this point, and all the chaos that threatened to tear apart the people she loved the most, peace seemed like an illusion that never really existed, but in the imagination of hopeful souls. Would it always be this way? She hoped with her heart that it wouldn't; logic suggested otherwise. Yet, she reminded herself that both of those aspects contradicted her. If peace truly did not exist, why would she often come here and find it? It was much more assuring than the headache caused by other people.

At the same time, she did have something to look forward to. An old friend would be returning home tomorrow, after being gone for ten months. Maybe he could help fix things. Or at least instill some discipline into his brother, who had caused this whole mess to begin with. The sting in her heart flared again, as she forced it down. It was not enough to allow to the surface. Even if it was, it would do no good. Her feelings were often ignored or returned with an almost violent detest. They tended to bring out the ugliest in others, and for that she often felt like a pariah. So, self control was her ally, hiding from the world the boiling lava in her heart that lead to an abyss. The abyss that pulled her down.

Tomorrow, he would most likely be caught up in family matters. She was not the only one who missed the stability he always seemed to possess. She also knew that her sister would want to organize something for the occasion. Her sister…

She couldn't be too mad at her. She knew her sister meant her no harm, and she handled the situation with much better grace than others, yet keeping the pain and bitterness at bay was still a chore. She made her choices, and so did he. However, he could be a little more considerate. Even throughout their relationship, she knew that wasn't his strong point, and with that, she worried for her sister. Still, she had to admit, they made more sense together. Even if it hurt. But that didn't matter. The swell of emotion was banging on the doors again. She threw herself back into the grass and exhaled it away. It was still there, in the back of her throat, but relieved.

* * *

He had arrived early, hours ago, while everyone believed he was arriving tomorrow. He wanted this, to have enough time to wander around off the grid. It also gave him time to get a few things for a few people. He was still in his dark grey suit. After ten months of business meetings, overlooking construction plans and delegating between competing parties, suits had become alike to camouflage in his mind. The first thing he did once he left the airport was untie his hair that was once very long, but was cut to just underneath his shoulder muscle. He had narrowly averted his brother and his friend, Miroku. Miroku looked a bit annoyed. After that, it was increasingly hard to hide away from those who he knew.

There was one whom he had not spotted. She was no where to be found. He remembered the place she would go to as a child, to be alone. Only once, had she taken him with her. After that, he remembered finding her there, unaware of his presence, in the trees. Even as bright as his hair color and skin was. She never knew that he was there, watching over her.

Just like now. His assumption was confirmed, when he gently weaved between trees to find a silhouette atop the inclined clearing, facing the sun. When she tossed herself back, he froze, wondering if he would be caught today. After a moment, he relaxed. Her expression looked like one that most corpses had; like that of a husk, ready to crumple up and float away. He moved behind a thick tree that he had often perched from, steadily climbing in a mechanical manner that kept her from sensing anything.

From this height, he was able to see her face clearly. Maybe too clearly, if there ever was such a thing. The detached husk broke, indeed, as a tightened discomfort replaced it. He watched as she inhaled deeply and released her breath, a small tear trailing to the side. Questions began to manifest in his mind. He was always fascinated by what he would see when she was here. He knew this was her safe haven, where she escaped and stood back from the world. Of all the people he came in contact with, she was the hardest to read, like an ancient book in secret code. He was fairly good at deducing the inner workings of people and situations, even before it was his job. She had always been like this; preferring to be her own person. As a child, she often kept to herself, at times visibly lost in her thoughts. He watched her, her sister and her little brother sometimes-after he was born, also chaperoning when they went to the movies and other events in their youth. They had all been childhood friends ever since. She was only a year older than her sister, nearly the same age as his brother, but she was individualistic. even if it was passively. She usually had the headphones to her ipod in her ears.

Now she was here, seemingly wrestling with herself briefly before wiping the tear away. He wasn't really one for impulses, but he had one now. Silently he scaled down the tree again, ignoring that he had just climbed upward, and trailed to the point that split their paths. He chose to take hers, already thinking of future repercussions.

* * *

It took a few moments, but the raw, volatile cluster that seized her heart subsided. She felt like she had just deactivated a bomb. Her thoughts drifted as she traced the horizon and all the colors in it. She stayed in these thoughts for a few minutes before her ears picked up a noise pattern. She pulled herself up and turned quickly, leaning on her right hand. The arm of her over-sized hoody slinked down her arm like a tunic. She froze as her eyes widened. She had expected it to be her imagination again—as the imagination sometimes messed with anyone's mind from time to time—when her eyes fell onto a real person. One that she had almost not recognized.


	2. Chapter 2

Critiques welcomed! Unless it's to point out the fact that i have not identified who "She" is. lol, I'm doing that for a reason. Maybe it's not a good reason, but it's valid enough:P

* * *

Ch. 2

Her mouth fell open in silence. He gave a half smile in return, his amber eyes bearing forth in their delving manner . Like always. What threw her off was that most of his hair was gone. It was like she conjured a ghost, having just thought about him. She wondered if there was any evidence of her emotional thoughts present, pushing it all away. She gradually stood up and hastily walked forward to greet him with a casual hug. She chuckled a little before stepping back, looking him directly in the eye.

"It's been a while, Sesshoumaru. I thought you weren't coming home until tomorrow?" she asked, observing his features before returning to his eyes. The only expression on his face was a small smirk, just barely there amidst the placidity. He noted the hesitation in her eyes before it disappeared. He pointedly glanced back to the spot she was just at, nodding in that direction as well. In unison, they walked back, each taking their own seat.

"Things changed," he replied evasively. "Actually, no one knows I'm here." His voice was even and soft. However, that did not denote the low tone it had, coupled with a fine edge. It almost seemed foreign, hearing it again. She nodded and transitioned her eyes back ahead to the last glimmers of the sun.

"Gotcha. Your secret's safe with me." The breeze filled the silence between them, but it wasn't uncomfortable. He watched her intently, wondering if she was going to talk about what he had seen. There was no way to ask without compromising himself. The last time he knew, ten long months ago, she was with his brother, Inuyasha. She worked in a library while going to school, selling things on the side. She lived in an apartment with Inuyasha, which he had thought was unwise. He wondered how much had changed since then.

"How are things between you and Inuyasha?" He asked calmly, following a hunch. She half expected this, just not so soon. The bitterness felt like a hiccup of acid, and it took a moment to be sure that it did not influence her response. However, when she was about to open her mouth, she stopped short. She didn't really know what to say.

"We broke up." Was all she could think of. She knew Sesshoumaru well enough to know that there was something cooking further behind those eyes. In fact, those eyes seem to be full of the metaphorical steam. It was an unspoken general consensus that his eyes and his body language were oddly put together. Nothing ever seemed to crack the calm, professionalism he wore, despite his intense, probing eyes. Most were intimidated by him because of this, and he was every woman's dream guy with his sharp masculinity and air of regality. She used to watch her classmates swoon over him, jealous of her when he talked to her or at the fact that he was her friend. She quickly lost some budding friendships and was subject to the schemes by some particularly bitter girls who wanted to replace her in their friendship. His senior year was her freshman year, so that animosity didn't last. Much.

Sesshoumaru shook a strand of hair from his face, analyzing. He speculated for a moment. He would more than likely hear more details from everyone else about this, sooner or later. "I'm sorry to hear that." He watched as she pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket. She picked up the habit a week ago, to both their mothers dismay. Their families were so close that she had to face double the vituperation and warnings about what nicotine does to her health. In truth, she had been hiding from them for a couple days. It was worth it right now, when her pulse would start speeding up. She nodded to his response and lit up. "Sorry if the smoke gets to you. Luckily, the wind is blowing the other way." She waited. She couldn't look at him. A part of her was angry at him for opening a wound that was only sewn together, but had not quite healed. In his defense, she figured that he didn't know. The voice of cynicism wagered that he had a hunch, though.

He simply said nothing, keeping tabs on her movement in his peripheral. They shared another moment of silence, until he chose to speak. "How long have you been smoking?" it was as if he were talking to a business associate. For some reason, that struck her as funny and caused her to laugh under her breath. "A week." She replied.

"You shouldn't smoke." He stated.

"Is that an order?" she mocked, playfully. She touched her cigarette to her lips, failing to resist a grin.

"It can be." Sesshoumaru didn't skip a beat. She couldn't resist the challenge.

"We all have our bad habits. Try me."

"Obviously, it's bad for you."

"Thanks, mom. I'll look both ways before crossing over to the dark side."

"You will stop smoking." There was an added, darker tone to his voice. It didn't fool her.

"Or what?" she turned her head to him, one eyebrow raised and mouth cracked open with a smirk.

He returned her gaze and leaned back onto his left arm. "I can always voice my concern to my mother." Sesshoumaru leaned his head down a bit, feeling victory materializing.

She laughed, "What makes you think she hasn't already told me something?"

Sesshoumaru's smirk was equivalent to a 'check mate'. "One little match can still start a forest fire." She pressed her lips together. She had not faced that yet. That's why she was avoiding them; when their mothers co-conspired, it was one thing—a very inescapable session of the cackling of the hens. If they have someone to use as ammo, she would never see the light of day again until she threw her pack away, because she would stand there and listen to them building onto each other's petitions. Or worse. Human contact in any way, let alone the extremes, sounded like too great a punishment right now.

"Touché. You win." She said, taking another drag. Sesshoumaru's eyes wanted to roll at the miniscule irony, but didn't. She had to admit, she felt a little better after that. Or maybe it was the cigarette. She shrugged. And he didn't understand why.

"Is it because of Inuyasha?" He asked. She shifted, staring at a piece of grass and stayed quiet. 'There went my brief moment of contentment,' She thought dryly. He took her silent diversion as confirmation.. "Would you like to talk about it?" She could feel his eyes, and wondered how much he could see. Could he see her heart throbbing out of its stitches? Or the power struggle between hate and love? She hoped not. She was grateful for the times that Sesshoumaru was there for her, providing a better shoulder to lean on than any of her friends, but she didn't want to go there with this. 'It would be uncomfortable for both of us,' she reasoned, feeling sad for him and disgusted with herself. Keeping her emotions under control was a daily task ever since she was a child and it wasn't that easy. Not with a bubbly sister that she looked like a weirdo when people compared them.  
"There's not much to talk about. He wasn't happy with me and found happiness in my sister. Simple. It's no big thing. It just sucks." She really wanted to change the subject. She grasped at the first thing that came to mind. "How did the business project go?"

Sesshoumaru could spot avoidance a mile away, but he abided. He figured that she must be in pain and he didn't want to make it worse. "It was nothing special." He replied. In truth, it was basically a vacation with long boring intervals of circular paper pushing. The German customs were different. Sesshoumaru wasn't much for tourism, and spent some time reading up on German history and language. He had picked up a couple of books he thought she would be interested in. He brought trinkets back for everyone as promised. The others were happy with anything from Germany; she was the only one who did not ask for anything and simply wished him a well trip. She deserved something with more thought put into it. A part of him hoped that she could find some joy from them, away from whatever she was going through.

"What was Germany like?" She asked as the wind pulled at her long hair. She glanced at him casually, yet her voice was brimming with curiosity.  
"It was quite beautiful. Different." As he replied, Sesshoumaru looked out into the town, watching as lights in the tall buildings began to illuminate themselves, one room at a time. She glared back at him.

"No details?" she raised an eyebrow, knowing his affinity to simple answers.

"What details do you want?" He asked. In her mind, his expression was nothing short of 'well, go on. . .' her eyebrows turned upward as her eyes fell halfway. "Well," she thought for a second, "Tell me how it's different."

"Everyone spoke German, for one. . ." Sesshoumaru said monotonously. She cracked a smile.

"Smartass." She murmured. As she turned away from him, a smirk slid onto his face. The moment fell to silence again, aided by the sound of scattering leaves. She gained a warmyet worn smile, thankful for the moment of peace that she could comfortably share with someone else. People often seemed fidgety when confronted with silence, as if every moment had to be energized. Over-amped, in her opinion. But then a fleeting thought crossed her mind.

"Do you ever feel like running? Just getting away from everything and seeing what happens next?" Her voice told him that she was far away in a dream. The truth of it was, she wanted to be. Before he could answer, she continued.

"I don't know. Everything has lost it's appeal, and I can't fix it. I just want to. . ." She trailed off, giving up when the words she was looking for abandoned her and leaning into her palm.

"Live?" Sesshoumaru suggested politely, opting that over 'escape'. She nodded, because she agreed, but she couldn't hold back a scoff, mostly directed to herself. She felt dangerously close to getting personal. Before she realized it was too late.

"I guess. Sometimes it feels like I've been dead this whole time." And now she wanted to spring alive. She wanted to get away from the mundane and predictable. Her stomach tensed with an unshakable grip, which she struggled to force away.

Sesshoumaru noticed her body slightly trembling, wondering what she was thinking about. He suspected that she had a lot more to say.  
"You never seem to feel comfortable talking about yourself." It was a simple observation that he had years to develop, yet it still caught her off guard. One aspect of her felt exposed, while another argued, 'Come on, that was obvious.' Her only response was, "I know."

Sesshoumaru gripped himself internally. He wanted nothing more than to make her wish come true. He knew her well enough to know that she was sensitive, but more over, that her tendency to take things in stride was because she often had to sacrifice herself for others. He knew that she justified it with their happiness, even if it meant misery for her. If she were a vase, she would be the one that was shattered; the vase so expertly glued back together, no one ever took the time to notice the cracks. And he could see that Inuyasha was a mallet thrown as a challenge to the glue. The anger being awoken stayed behind his stoic mask, looking out from his eyes.

"It's getting dark." Stated Sesshoumaru. "We should go."


	3. Chapter 3

Aaaaaaaand it's chapter 3! huzzah!

* * *

Ch.3

Logically, he had a point. Certain times at night brought certain kinds of people out from the wood work, and it could prove to be a hassle. At the same time, she saw no real threat; between her and her sister, she was the fighter. It certainly would not be the first time. Furthermore, she could not tear herself away from her haven just now. She had no desire to go back to civilization. She wondered if it would even bode well, as volatile as she felt.

"If you must go, you should. I don't want to yet." The apathy laced in her voice only alluded to him of the lie it was. She did not want to chance running into Inuyasha, that much was obvious. He imagined what kind of storm raged in her heart. Still, he sought to persist.

"I can ensure you that he is busy," He said. It was annoying that he was able to see the problem so easily. She felt strange for once, wishing that he was not so observant. However, it was more than just Inuyasha.

"I don't want to go home. I don't want to see anyone who may ask me questions or make me—" She had to cut herself off, choking on the surge of wrath that made her mouth taste vaguely like iron. She felt like she was in a losing battle with herself; with nothing to do about the situation, and seemingly no right way to handle it. No matter how she felt or what she said, the chances were likely to make things worse. She wanted her sister to be happy and she was thankful that her sister came to talk to her about it herself. A part of her didn't like that she gave the option up to her though. "_If you want me to, I will tell him no. . ." _Her sister had said. And she knew she was being sincere, but could not allow herself to get between them. If they were happy together, she did not want to deny her sister of that. At the same time, she suspected that eventually they would be together anyway, maybe in secret. She could not bear it if that secret one day surfaced. Either way, her presence amidst any of them would make things tense and uncomfortable; at least this way, it would eventually subside and maybe forgotten. She still felt betrayed by her sister, but at least with this course of events, it was her choice.

Sesshoumaru did nothing. He only had to look at her to see where her broken sentence would have gone. As she hung her head low, her long hair and bangs hid her face, like an angel fallen from grace. He imagined her eyes were closed, her brows furrowed, frozen in agony. It was not that she didn't want to leave, though he knew her better than to say it wasn't applicable. It was that she could not. As long as he had known her and watched her suffer in silence, he still could not stop it. Never mind how badly he wanted to. Eventually when she could leave, he didn't want her to be alone and at the mercy of any who would target her.

If she would allow him. "Would you like me to stay?" He would only watch over her from afar until she was safe anyway, which let the calmness in his voice be true. It did nothing to mask his seriousness.

She considered it for a moment. He should probably go, she reasoned, so that he would not be subjected to her childish emotions. Yet she didn't want him to leave. It took a few strangled moments before she could whisper, "Yes." He wanted to hold her, to comfort her and offer warmth to keep the coldness overtaking her at bay. He resisted, knowing it was not appropriate and unsure how she would take it. So he moved closer until he was right next to her, letting his legs hang over the side of the twenty foot cliff. Both of them momentarily mused at how, even when sitting down, he towered over her.

She regained her composure to look up at him, not expecting him to already return her gaze. Her eyes were wide and glossy, pleading mercy on her vulnerability. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru. You always seem to save the day." He stayed quiet while she pulled up her knees and wrapped her arms around them. She leaned into her baggy sleeves so that only the bridge of her nose and eyes were the only visible features. She then reached for her pack again, and just as she withdrew it, Sesshoumaru swiped it away, causing her to drop her legs over the side again and turn quickly to him. "Please give them back—"She started to say but stopped short. Gracefully, he extracted two cigarettes and stuck them in his mouth. She watched in awe while he acted completely casual. He took out her lighter and lit them, making sure they caught. After all that he handed one to her. She looked down at it, then back to him and took a drag. "When did _you_ start smoking?" she asked, as he inhaled like he did this regularly.

"I can smoke. It doesn't mean I do. As I've said, it's bad for health," said Sesshoumaru, gazing off nonchalantly. She nodded, doing the same.

"I have one question. You do not have to answer if you do not want to." He said, waiting for her response. She merely turned to him, earnestly. He took his time to say it. His delay made her nervous.

"How much do our friends and families know about what happened between you and Inuyasha?" He picked his words carefully to carry out two objectives. One was pure curiosity, perhaps a gage on how much he could find out without causing her discomfort. The other was simply the need to point it out to her, in hopes that it could present a new opportunity or plan of action.

Her heart began to stress. "Whatever he's told them. They usually don't talk about it in front of me." But she remembered the things she heard them say when they were oblivious to her presence. Sesshoumaru took in her expression, suspecting that she had heard something. It piqued his interest.

"And you haven't talked to anyone about it." She actually was not sure if he meant it as a question or not. Either way, she shook her head. How could she? It was not like she didn't try. It did not take too long for her to accept that it was wasted effort.

"Would you mind me asking, then?" he lifted an eyebrow when she glanced quickly. She never knew if she was the blushing type, but she felt the fluster and wondered. She didn't know how to feel about it. Her eyes fell to the ground before she turned away again. "If you want to. . ." He continued to stare at her, granting his full attention. She had to take a deep breath.

"I found them making out in front of the house, at three in the morning. According to my sister. . ." Her came the first hard part, ". . .He told her that he had broken up with me to be with her. He didn't tell me anything of the sort." Her thoughts began to drift back to that night. Her eyes, unfocused. "She saw me when she walked through the door. I talked to her and she had no idea we were still together. So then I confronted him the next day. And he lied to my face." She had to stop herself momentarily when she noticed her voice beginning to take on more of a bite. She didn't want to look at Sesshoumaru so that he could see the tears forming. Her heart squeezed cautiously. She took a deep breath and continued once more. "You know Inuyasha as well as I do. Needless to say. . . he wasn't all that remorseful. I kicked him out of the apartment that night."

Sesshoumaru considered this, analyzing every bit of it. He knew that her restraint of expression didn't mean she wasn't creative, meaning that she knew how to get things done. "I know Inuyasha is. . ." '_Stupid.'_ He wanted to say. "Stubborn. How did you get him to leave so quickly?" He imagined that he would have thrown a fit, and he felt sympathy for her. On top of a broken heart, dealing with his brother was equivalent to treating a stab wound by driving the knife in further. He was pleased to see her smirk from the side; some semblance of a smile.

"I informed my manager, changed my locks and left all of his stuff in front of the building. Then I conveniently was not home when he got his surprise." She laughed quietly. "He didn't tell me, so I didn't tell him. He was really cruel." She decided that Sesshoumaru didn't need to know everything he said to her. She certainly did not want to relive in on thephysicalplain. No, her jurisdiction was that it was better to keep to herself; nevermind how badly she wanted to. If she had the power to channel her emotions into the environment, the earth would crack, the skies would storm, blood would fall from the charred clouds, all the while airing aloud the internal cries of agony. Yet a part of her felt that was too much for a break up. She regretted how much Inuyasha meant to her.

She took a moment to reflect on the personality types of her and her sister, compared to Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru. It provided some ease—she never understood why. For each pair it was the same: the older siblings and the younger siblings were very different. Her sister was the sweet happy-go-lucky kind of girl, the one who was loud and fun and always well liked. Her extrovertism did not deter from her heart, though her whims could be flighty. She often didn't carry so much weight into things, despite how expressive she could be. Though she was the head cheerleader, she never overtly tried to hurt anyone. She was the exact opposite from her sister.

Inuyasha was similar, in that he was often loud and obnoxious. He, on the other hand, was brutish, blunt, and simple. He had the attitude of the average high school boy; always something to prove, always prideful and yet silly. How vastly different Sesshoumaru was from him. Sesshoumaru was quiet, respectful, daunting, responsible and often described as detached; sometimes cold. He was furtive in his actions. He knew what he wanted, and his intelligence and awareness only matched his sharp and serious appearance. She always thought that Inuyasha harbored a desire to be like him, but just wasn't. As siblings, they never seemed as close and her and her sister. They did, however, share stubbornness, but even that was different when nit-picking the details.

What snapped her out of these thoughts was when the tears that built up in her eyes finally fell. She had lost time, even though only ten seconds had passed. It made her face sting when the breeze hit, so she had to wipe them away. '_So much for hiding it'_ she thought sarcastically.

Sesshoumaru had still considered her last response. "Well played," he commended, hoping it would do some good. It did make her smile a bit. Then he watched her wipe away her tears and it darkened his mood. He decided then to have a conversation with his brother, already knowing he would need restraint. Sesshoumaru always rued the day she told him of her feelings for Inuyasha, even to this day. He watched her warm light falter when Inuyasha would date other girls. He remembered with mixed feelings holding her when it would be too much for her, as she silently wept. He hated that there was nothing he could do.

In unison, they inhaled more nicotine and flicked the ash away. She sniffed, sighed and shifted. "Is it pathetic to still be upset like this, even when this happened almost a month ago?" She glanced at him, again surprised that he was already looking at her. After a moment, he answered "No," though her question spoke volumes to him. The moments following were masked as silence.

"What movies are currently in theatres?" He asked


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you, those of you who have given me reviews!I hope that it's entertaining enough.

* * *

Ch. 4

Her eyebrow quirked, wondering where that came from. Then she thought to answer the question and came up with nothing. "I have no idea." She had to give up cable and never really saw any movie trailers on the internet. The sadness was leaving her, thanks to his out-of-nowhere question. Sesshoumaru smiled softly, eyes teeming with his own scheme. "Let's go find out." He said while standing up. He turned his commanding gaze to her as she turned to stare up at him. It actually sounded like a good idea; then she remembered her bank account. "I can't. I'm broke."

Sesshoumaru would accept no excuse. "My treat." She stammered and hesitated. He was loaded; she knew that. Still she felt a little bad. He already anticipated this. "I insist." He held his hand out. She still hesitated, but took it none the less, letting him pull her onto her feet. She glanced down, mildly shy. At the same time, she liked the idea. She had enough of grief for now anyway. Sesshoumaru let her hand go and gave her a few steps ahead of him.

She tripped a couple times on tree roots and he was there to keep her from touching the ground, earning a couple of murmured 'thank you's. Once they exited the woods, she decided to start a conversation. "Have you heard from Naraku at all?" she asked, meeting his eyes momentarily. "He left town a while back, and I am getting a little worried." Naraku was both of their close friends. He and Sesshoumaru were good friends in high school. Once Sesshoumaru graduated, being a year and a half younger than him, she and Naraku became good friends as well. Sesshoumaru had a message thread with him, but Naraku stopped replying a month and a half ago. "Not recently." He admitted. She pressed her lips in response. She smiled at him. "At least I have one of my wing-men back," She teased and tossed a light, fake punch at his arm. She still worried for Naraku in the back of her mind.

As they approached the streets, the atmosphere changed. The sweet yet haunting aura of the forest gave way to the busy energy illustrated underneath the street lights. Calm turned into velocity. She thought critically that even with all the lights and excitement one would find in a city, it did not feel nearly as alive and true as the trees and animals scampering around them. Even the graveyard, pushing over a century in age, felt more realistic. She stared at Sesshoumaru when he wasn't aware, wondering if he ever felt that way. Or maybe it was just her. It was possible; throughout her life, she was the 'weird' one. She silently thanked him for being one of the few who did not treat her that way. After all, she couldn't fully explain why these things stood out to her, neither why they never seemed to capture the attention of anyone else.

Sesshoumaru walked diligently, keeping a wary eye for anyone he might know. He led her around a sharp corner before letting her match his stride. Just before them was the Cinema. Once they were in front of it, he paused and looked at the movie titles. She did the same, regretting that Naraku was not here. As a movie buff, he had an uncanny way of knowing what every movie was about, the reviews it received, the movies that had the idea first, who played each role, their life storyand so on. She looked at each title, not recognizing any of them.

"What are you in the mood for?" she asked, peering up at him. He had no clue what to possibly suggest. It might have been easier to throw a dart and pick the one it landed on.

"What would you prefer?"He murmured. Her expression fell as she went, "huh. . ."

"How about Knife's Edge? It sounds bloody." It was a gamble, but what else was there, aside from some that sounded like cheesy chick flicks, overrated comedies, or those too ambiguous to know what they were getting into? Sesshoumaru smirked briefly and stepped up to the ticket booth. "Two for 'Knife's Edge', please." As the man dressed in a white button up complied quickly, she noted how nervous he seemed. Sesshoumaru had an authoritative air about him, but he was no king; he never abused it, at least not that she had ever seen.

Sesshoumaru handed her the ticket just as her neck started to cramp. "Thanks." She said, kneading her fingers over her neck muscles.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, eyeing her neck.

"No," she began, pinching an eye closed. "You just gotta stop being so tall." She could hear him breathe a chuckle. "Sorry. It's a medical condition," His voice sounded amused, and she chortled a little in response. After they got passed an employee that checked their tickets, Sesshoumaru's vision was set on the concession stand. She started to walk where they were directed before realizing that he was not with her, turning on her heel. Sesshoumaru slid a card on the counter as a large cup landed in front of him. She stood back, waiting for him when she was greeted with the soda and a chocolate bar. She blanched. It was always what she would get—when she could afford it of course—when she would go to the movies. She smiled lightly and stabbed the straw in.

* * *

As the actor on the screen had his throat slit, inciting a symphony of gasps, she tightened her lips so as to control her laughter. "Come on, I could make that look more real!" she cackled quietly. Sesshoumaru did not react, but enjoyed it. Her spirit seemed to be lifting, lifting his as a result. He flashed back to the past, when he, she, and Naraku would do this. It was a monthly thing. Usually he would watch as the other two would critique the movie quietly or heckle it, sometimes causing the rest of the audience to laugh. They never skipped a beat. Right now it was an hour into the movie. She did nothing but laugh.

"Did you see her face? She's not scared! She looks like she smells something bad!" She commented right before the killer sliced open the girls arm, just the skin. It was that moment that the humor calmed. On the screen, the girl was tied up and outstretched on a metal slab of some sort. The plot was that she was the killer's ex-fiancé who had cheated on him with another guy and got his friends to torture and kill the main character. Before he died, she admitted with sadistic spite that she destroyed their baby instead of miscarried, 'because she didn't want the filthy thing to be from him.' Now, the killer took off his glove and wet his fingers with her blood. He brought it to his face, inhaling deeply. The girl watched in horror, and this time she actually looked terrified.

She could not stop herself from becoming immersed in the visual. She saw it in her mind, placing herself in the killer's perspective. She could feel her pulse storm throughout her body, engulfed in the vengeance that was fueled with sadistic hate. The blade lightly traced the girl's stomach, almost tauntingly, as she cowered. This was before he rushed to her head, clasping her jaw to force her to look at him. "Filthy thing" he said in a hoarse croak and quickly sliced her four times. The camera revealed a square shape that was now bleeding on her abdomen. As he peeled away the flesh and plunged his hand in, she gripped the armrests, but not out of fear. He tore away the muscles and organs until her spine was showing. Sesshoumaru stared vacantly as her shoulders rose and fell. Her breathe sounded strained. Her eyes widened, concentrating as if she wasn't here anymore. He slid his hand on her arm. That's when she was pulled away from the vicarious scenario. She quickly realized how carried away she got; It was like waking up after nearly drowning in a river. Anxiety leaked into her expression as she turned to face Sesshoumaru.

"Are you all right?" He stared deep into her eyes, searching. . . She did not know how to read him—other than concern, but that wasn't it. To make it worse, she felt like a mesmerized fly caught in the spider's web. She closed her mouth and feebly nodded. She felt vulnerable, and that felt strange. All he could see was that she looked flustered, but she gave no other clues or details.

She smiled. "They did a good job with that scene. It bumps up their grade to sixty-five." She meant it to be humorous but he stayed serious. His glare became skeptical. "Really, I'm fine." She assured. She felt so confused and embarrassed. '_What was that?'_ She scolded herself.

It was not until the end of the movie that she went back to laughing at it.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5

Sesshoumaru felt relieved afterward, even to just stretch. His mind was still analyzing her reactions and no matter what he tried to distract himself with, he couldn't let it go.

She felt silly for asking, but decided to anyway. "What did you think of the movie?"

"It was interesting enough." He watched her from the side. "What would you like to do now?. . . Do you want to go home?" She gave the ground a frank look.

"Honestly? Not really." She paused. "Are you getting tired?" his eyes flattened as a smirk tugged at his mouth. "It's only eight." She blinked and looked up. "Really? It feels later. . . Wow." She must be farther gone than she realized. "Well, what do you want to do?" she asked. Before the conversation could continue, she felt a vibration in her pocket. She took out her phone and grew quiet.

It was Inuyasha. '_Haven't you tortured me enough for one day?'_ she thought angrily. Then again, she had not seen him at all today—which she was glad—and upon realizing that he tortured her without even trying made her feel low. So, she pressed 'ignore'.

"Who was that?" Sesshoumaru asked, taking in her body language. She didn't lift up her head when she met his gaze. "Take a wild guess." He resisted rolling his eyes, though he could see no real reason why Inuyasha would call her. None the less, he was not happy that he did. They heard her phone 'ping' and she groaned internally. He left her a voice message. Great.

She forced herself to turn her thoughts away from him by reiterating her previous question. "So, any ideas?" She said, relaxing a little. She tried to think of something that would not require money. Tried, and failed. He stayed quiet. There was only one idea she had. "Let's just walk until something happens, then." Sesshoumaru nodded, waiting for her to pick a direction and move towards it before taking a step himself.

They walked in silence. It was going along peacefully enough; both had disappeared to their own thoughts. All was well. Except that her pocket kept going off. What could he possibly want? It wasn't until the fifth time it happened that she finally stopped. Her phone was in her hand as she silently debated on answering it. Sesshoumaru watched, but said nothing. Her placidity cracked with irritation. "This better be important!" she grumbled. Her tone went back to normal when she answered with a calm "Hello?"

"You need to answer your phone! That's what it's for, ya know," growled the arrogant voice over the phone. Sesshoumaru could hear it. Though he pretended to not pay attention, he started to clench his jaw. He had an impulse to take her phone and throw it at the building across the street, but fought the notion. She was having similar thoughts.

"It's nice to hear from you too," she said dryly. Her pulse began to drum in her ears again. Hello fresh cigarette. Inuyasha could hear the clicking of her lighter through the receiver. "What was that?" it sounded like a command with a touch of genuine curiosity.

"What was what?" she retorted. Her expression contradicted her flat, earthy tone. Her eyebrows rose and her mouth stayed cracked in an open way, yet she looked amused.

"That noise."

"What noise?" she took a drag. Just for fun, she clicked her lighter again.

"There it is again!" He sounded annoyed; she couldn't help but feel playful.

"I don't hear anything," click click. Click. "You must be hearing things." '_Now what is so damn important, Inuyasha?'_ He sighed dramatically.

"Stop being like that!" Inuyasha demanded. She smiled to herself.

"Whatever do you mean? Is there a reason you've called me?" If he was going to bug her, she may as well have some fun with it. He stammered.

"Uh… I wanted to see what you were doing." The 'fun' just got shot its knee cap shot off. It was as if someone had planted a seed of angered hurt in her stomach and its roots were starting to impale her. She could already feel the muscles around her rib cage splinter. She didn't know what to say. She glanced at Sesshoumaru.

"I'm busy with something. Why?" She succeeded in keeping her tone the same.

"Busy with what?" She was really getting irritated now. It took a lot of hard work to keep it flawlessly from her voice. Since when is it his business anymore? She hated it when he did that. She refused to answer his questions if he was going to ignore hers. It seemed like a better idea; to not comply before it escaladed from simple 'whatever' questions to complete disregard. She took another drag, a deeper one this time.

"Why?"

"I'm just asking." He said pompously. She pinched the bridge of her nose, rubbing her upper eye sockets.

"I'm collecting the souls of the dead." _'Do you want to be next?_' she finished mentally. She mused at the thought of dragging him to Hell so that, at the very _least_, he could share her headache.

He let out a gruff scoff. "That's funny. You sure are a comedian." Sarcasm and one-upmanship. How typical. She smiled, her voice picking up an obviously false glimmer. "Glad to know I entertain you." It also seethed with double meaning. He laughed on the other side; He clearly didn't get it.

"Look, I have to go. It was nice catching up. Bye!" and with that, the call ended. She just stood there, incredulous at his audacity. Sesshoumaru looked back down at her.

"You held your own well." He stated softly. He wanted to tell her his brother was a childish idiot. He wanted to make her forget Inuyasha existed; he knew that even if he understood what she said, he wouldn't listen. But she already knew it.

She glanced up apologetically. "Thank you. I'm sorry you had to hear that."She inhaled more of her cigarette, then threw her ashes aside. "I don't understand his thought process. . . Nor what he wanted. . . None of that made sense to me at all." She wondered if it was her emotional involvement, cursing the fact that she _was_ so emotionally involved. She wished that she could get over him as easily as he got over her. The thought that it meant absolutely nothing to him, when she loved him for so long really dug at her. They grew up together; their families were practically entwined since their mothers were best friends . . . yet he acted like this was another one of those meaningless relationships he had during high school. He knew she missed him, and seemed to use it to his advantage. What was worse was that now he was with her sister, for so many reasons.

Sesshoumaru shifted his gaze down the street, not really looking at it at all. He wanted to get to the bottom of this whole thing before she ended up bursting into flames. He disliked that she usually ended up getting a hard time; at the same time, she handled it with strength and resourcefulness. An attribute he was quite fond of. All the while, he hated that she needed it so much.

His thoughts reflected backwards in time. When she was in middle school, some boys would cause her trouble, and as usual, she dismissed it. One day, she came home with bruises and scrapes. Those boys had chased her down an ally and thrown rocks at her. Sesshoumaru remembered it very vividly. He waited as patiently as he could at her kitchen table until he told her mother that he was going to get her some bandages and pain medicine. When he took a long time to return, he gave them the excuse that there was a line at the store. He suspected that her mother knew what he was really doing, though she never said anything. No one really knew what happened to this day. Those boys never bothered her again.

Now, Inuyasha was doing the same thing to her, emotionally. And Sesshoumaru could do nothing to stop it this time.

Just then, a roar echoed from her stomach. It caused her to giggle shyly, and he had to stifle a smile.


	6. Chapter 6

For those of you that care, this chapter and the last two were originally all supposed to be chapter 4... oops. my fingers and keyboard eloped to L.A. and got busy.

* * *

Ch. 6

"Don't mind that, it's just Cerberus waking up." She said, pretending it was true like it made sense. Sesshoumaru pushed his bottom lip up.

"Does he need more souls?" She was confused until she remembered what she had said to Inuyasha.

"I think he's more blood thirsty. A soul to Cerberus is like lettuce to a vampire. What good would that do?"

"Lettuce is healthy." Sesshoumaru replied. This was turning into a game.

"So is soul food, apparently. Oooohh…" She raised her hands at the last part in mock victory, but ended up laughing.

"So, how long are we going to dwell in left field before you tell me what you feel like eating?" He challenged stoically. It stopped her in her tracks. He saw her begin to search her pockets for money. He stopped her, patting the wallet in his pocket. Once again, she felt flustered, because he was more than likely going to pay for it like he did the movie, but then she earnestly smiled.

"Wow, dinner and a movie. Well aren't you a charmer?" she teased. She got serious for a moment. "Are you sure?" He simply nodded. She smiled, remembering that she only had a pack of ramen that would last her until her next paycheck, three days from now.

A bowl of steaming udon soup was placed before her. Sesshoumaru was pleased, comparing her expression to that of a kid in a candy store. She even took the time to breathe it in as she picked out some thick noodles with her chop sticks. He had only gotten a rice bowl, having eaten on the plane. They sat at a high table next to an aquarium that made up half of the wall. These aquarium walls were what separated most of the different areas in the restaurant, making it appear more expensive than it really was.

"So," she said before taking another bite and swallowing, "Did you ever go to Nuremberg?" She asked.

"I did."He said as he ate a small bit of rice. "I saw the trials courthouse. You would have enjoyed it." She smiled, musing.

"One day I will. If I can get the language down first. Please tell me you got to explore more out there." Her words were calm yet eager. He kept her waiting for his response.

"Reichsparteitagsgelande." He said simply, with perfect pronunciation. So perfect in fact, she almost did not recognize what he was talking about.

"You mean where they had the Nazi rallies right? I thought it was blown to smithereens." She searched her memory bank, struggling to recall all her information. Sesshoumaru continued eating like they were talking about the weather.

"It was." She merely blinked, noting to herself to do more research on the topic.

"So then what did you go see?" She tried again.

Sesshoumaru stopped eating and looked up at her, expressionless. "Reichsparteitagsgelande." She wanted to slap herself.

"What else did you see?" She attempted again, unintentionally entertaining him.

"Germany's national museum was quite nice." He took a sip of tea.

When she asked if he took pictures, he shook his head. So, she waited until he put his tea down before flicking his arm. "That's for not getting pictures. Hope you learned your lesson." Behind his limited smile, he wanted to laugh.

"Which is?"he taunted. She ignored it.

"Never forget to take pictures." She chimed before sucking in an udon noodle. He resisted the urge to pinch her cheek.

"I'm sorry. I will remember that next time." He said. The next five minutes was spent eating. At least for her. Sesshoumaru killed the rest of his rice bowl within the first minute. He still wanted to ask.

He said her name to get her attention. "What were you thinking about during the movie?" She stopped chewing, feeling exposed. She swallowed.

"You mean at that one part. . .?" it was a stupid question. He nodded once while she fished around for any more noodles.

"I can't really explain it. . ." she kept her eyes down. He waited.

"The very nature of what he did to her interested me." It was hard to disagree with the characters actions, but it was even harder to explain why or how she enjoyed how he handled it. It was relatable, in a sense. She held close control of herself, but sometimes she wanted to unleash everything. In her mind, she knew it was not the best option—let alone a real one; the guy was dead!—but if she was in the same position, wouldn't she have done the same? Wouldn't anyone?

Sesshoumaru was growing impatient. "Go on." she glanced at him and bit her lip.

"I understand where he was coming from. Maybe not condone it, but. . ." she took a deep breath. "Would you hold back? Would you want to?" She asked. He did not answer, but he understood the feeling in many different ways. Ways in which she had no idea.

"It's human, I think. You can take a crazy person and a psychologically normal person and hurt them past their thresholds, even though those thresholds may be at different levels. I'm not convinced that they wouldn't want to get even, let alone enjoy your suffering to that degree. And I'm not convinced that the concept of right and wrong would apply, because to them, it's justice." The more she tried to explain her point logically, the further she sank into the idea behind it. She could easily relate to wanting revenge, but she knew that it was unwise to result to seeking it. Each situation called for its own verdict. There were some times when vengeance was necessary. But there were better options to try first.

Sesshoumaru listened to her explanation intently. Not only was she thinking out loud, but he felt like he was glimpsing something no one else had ever seen out of her. She had a point, but it wasn't about her point. He was more interested in her being open, knowing that it meant she trusted him. It meant a lot to him.

She shook her head to snap herself out of it. "Anyway, I'm rambling. . ." she felt a little nervous. This was usually when expressing her thoughts would have troubling reactions. '_This is Sesshoumaru,'_ she reminded herself.

"That's fine. I asked. There is nothing wrong with an explanation." He said, breaking his gaze.


End file.
